Can child molesters be rehabilitated?????

[savethebees]

"Rehabilitated" can mean a number of things. I don't think that even a nominally "rehabilitated" child molester can be rehabilitated to where they should be allowed around children ever again. If the terms of their rehab include not being around kids and regular checks of their computer for child *advertiser censored*, then maybe. However, whether child predators WANT to be rehabilitated...idk. There have been some cases where child predators have asked to be castrated (surgically or chemically) as a condition of their release (sources below). Some medications, like antidepressants, can kill someone's sex drive, which doesn't necessarily reduce attraction but does reduce/eliminate the desire to act on sexual urges. These methods are pretty extreme and probably not something a lot of them would consent to trying.

Source for one guy in 2014 seeking release after castration: O.C. castrated child molester says he’s no longer a danger, seeks release – Orange County Register
General information on states that allow castration of child molesters as a condition of their plea deal or release, as of 2006: castration of sex offenders

Can they be rehabilitated through traditional means of psychotherapy, hypnosis, and/or medication? Who knows. I don't think there's a ton of data on this.

There's also the issue that child molesters may just prey on children not because of urges towards children but because children are easier to access, more vulnerable, and easier to exert power over. Those people I don't think can be rehabilitated.

Prevention by educating adults and children should be prioritized. Also, intervention with self-confessed pedophiles who have not offended and don't want to offend can probably help. Though again, staying away from children should be a priority.

 

[cdn6002]

Hope to be verified shortly (as moderator time permits).
Degree: MD, personally a multiple perpetrator trauma survivor, specialist in mental health with subspecialty in CandA mental health. Answer based upon our unfortunate systems in USA.
I voted no but the binary answer choice to a truly question was problematic.
Adults: not with the limited resources and focus on CYA criminality vs identification of those who have potential for rehabilitation.
Youth: with expert trauma therapy (for those free of sociopathy) totally.

 

[Mause]

How does one define rehabilitation? If it's defined in terms of being able to live and function like a normal, average person while in close proximity to children, then not - absolutely impossible to rehabilitate an adult offender. If it's defined in terms of being able to function while always being kept away from minor children, then ... I guess then one could say they could be 'rehabilitated.' These people should never be allowed in any close proximity to children, prohibited from having children of their own ... When it comes to youth ... there the possibility of full rehabilitation is more possible, but only with lifelong intervention, lifelong therapy, lifelong monitoring. Do we have these resources the way our societies are built nowadays (profit over people)? Nope. We'd have to totally restructure our societies and reevaluate our priorities ...

I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse (several years of it) and no one should ever be subjected to even an iota of what I've gone through ...

 

[cdn6002]

Hope to be verified shortly (as moderator time permits).
Degree: MD, personally a multiple perpetrator trauma survivor, specialist in mental health with subspecialty in CandA mental health. Answer based upon our unfortunate systems in USA.
I voted no but the binary answer choice to a truly (meant to say complex here) question was problematic.
Adults: not with the limited resources and focus on CYA criminality vs identification of those who have potential for rehabilitation.
Youth: with expert trauma therapy (for those free of sociopathy) totally.

Oh I’d add by youth I’m talking smaller humans. Say 8 and below (assuming no developmental delays or cognitive impairments, that’s another discussion). Some tweens or teens if massive interventions, family therapy, education etc. And much hinges on how entrenched the behaviors and underlying thought distortions, frequency of abuse, preparation/ attempts to conceal, victim selection and more.

 

[private]

I believe once a perv always a perv. My only training is life so my opinion doesn't count for much.

 

[Tricia]

Please welcome our newest verified member.
cdn6002 is a registered Medical Doctor and Board-Certified Psychiatrist.

You are more than welcome to ask cdn6002 questions. If you don't agree with cdn6002 professional opinion and want to argue please just scroll by.

Welcome cdn6002. We all appreciate your willingness to become verified. Thank you for choosing Websleuths.

Take Care,
Tricia

 

[cdn6002]

Thanks,!! Heads up if others on the site reach out and I am slow to respond that is not a sign of judgement or anything of the sort. With three kids, three jobs, and an attempt at work-life balance I may pop in for a second, get distracted by a work or family matter, and disappear for a bit (or more than a bit, depending upon your definition ).
I’m thinking my best utility here could be offering professionally vetted, trauma-informed resources for improving the mental health of those drawn to this morbid curiosity. I’m not just the provider— I’m also a card carrying member of the survivors club.

 

[HRAR306]

I was taught in Nursing School, pedophiles are the one group of prisoners that can never be rehabbed

 

[helpfulcharlie]

I believe once a perv always a perv. My only training is life so my opinion doesn't count for much.

Your opinion counts. My life experience validates yours.

 

[AC4RD]

Please welcome our newest verified member.
cdn6002 is a registered Medical Doctor and Board-Certified Psychiatrist.

Great, and welcome. So, you're a psychiatrist ... how do you feel about that? ;-)

 

[BLT HUEY GIRL]

There just seems to be so many of us that have experienced sexual abuse in our life time. It's so sad. One thing I believe that would have helped me when I was a child and that I tried to instill in my children as a mother was the importance of BOUNDARIES... Not just for outside the home but inside the home as well. Each person should have personal clear boundries. It is the thing that if they maintain them and defend them will help to keep them safe. I wish someone would have told me that even though I was just a child I to had a right to stand up for my own personal boundaries, because I know it would have saved my life from a lot of pain and confusion. So much wasted time on correcting the damages that came from it. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO DEFEND THEIR BOUNDRIES....

 

[sportstergirl]

Depending on the circumstances, a 16 year old having consenting sex with a 15 year old a good chance of rehabilitation. In most other cases no chance of rehabilitation it's ingrained like being straight or bi or gay

 

[shenmue]

I've watched too many crime documentary's where the criminal was charged but got an extremely light jail term, was released and went on to molest again and in some cases kill.

It breaks my heart when this happens, feel so sorry for the victim and families when the justice system fails them. There needs to be longer jail terms given to these sick people, if it was me in charge they wouldn't be released.

I just wish there was a 100 % safe way of releasing them where you could guarantee they wouldn't commit the crime or even worse next time but you can't, its like the justice system is playing Russian roulette with potential young victims, just hoping you don't get that call that they have committed the crime again.

 

[thebridesmom2018]

Has anyone here ever seen the Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick movie called The Woodsman? It touches on this topic.

I will definitely check and see if I can find this movie to watch!

 

[Skully]

No, they can't be rehabilitated. They are wired differently than us.

 

[Isabelle98]

To me child molesters are irredeemable. They have something wrong in their mind. You can't change what they are.
It's genetics

 

[becomingtherain]

In regards to my "no" vote...

I think the line becomes kind of fuzzy when it's a situation of "I thought they were 17, but they were actually 16." I don't believe that is as vile as when adults knowingly prey on younger children, THAT is absolutely atrocious. I don't think that is something that can be helped; it seems to be a hardwired folly in a person. It's one thing to think about pedophile actions, it's another thing to act upon these impulses.

 

[NJSleuth91]

It's one thing to think about pedophile actions, it's another thing to act upon these impulses.

Yeah, like, just because someone has those urges, doesn't mean they act on them. A lot of them do not, actually. Of course it's still creepy af and you wouldn't want your kids to be around them, but having those urges does not necessarily mean becoming a sex criminal. There's been a lot of articles written about non-offending pedophiles in recent years, actually. Unfortunately it is almost impossible for people like that to seek therapy because when they do, the therapist usually gets disgusted and kicks them out. So I'm not really sure if the therapeutic establishment is doing all they can in terms of research on this topic, because they don't want to be associated with it either.

I think they can't be rehabilitated in terms of not having those desires. They can be rehabilitated in terms of whether they commit sex crimes or not. Actually I've heard that child molesters have a low recidivism rate (well who knows...maybe they just got away with it the next time....) However, unfortunately it's very hard to tell which of them are going to "recidivate" and which of them aren't. A lot of them are really good at acting normal. This was probably mentioned in the thread already, but the Louis Theroux documentary "A Place For Pedophiles" is a great exploration of this topic.

Also this thread made me think of something...a former acquaintance of my group of friends is serving time in prison for child molestation. He was a high school teacher and preyed upon his students. His husband, who was actually part of our friend group for a time, was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, because the molester brought the kids over to his house and his husband had some awareness that something not-right was going on and didn't stop it. My friends and I have speculated a lot on the actual extent of his involvement, whether he was more involved and the police just couldn't prove it, etc.

Anyway it was a total shock. They seemed 100% normal. I went to their house for their housewarming party a few months before they got arrested! In articles it said the molester grew up on some kind of "compound" in a remote area, and that his family had some really weird, ritual child abuse sex cult type of stuff going on. Like I think his dad was charged with molesting his sisters or something? Anyway I saw zero signs that either of them were abnormal. I literally even remember thinking when I went over to their house, how normal they were. The last time I saw them, was actually after the molester had been fired but before he was charged. They were at a party, the molester seemed like suicidal levels of despondent, he told me he lost his job and I was like "sorry, I hope it all gets sorted out!" and he was kind of like "yeah, right." None of us knew at the time about the criminal charges. One of my friends found out weeks later from the news.

Anyway, point is, be careful out there, because a lot of these molesters are the last people you would expect....

 

[CityDancer]

It depends on what is meant by "rehabilitation". Sexual preference pretty much stays the same throughout a person's life but with intensive expert counseling, drugs and/or castration, maybe pedos can live an otherwise "normal" life outside of prison.

One interesting question would be, should these people be offered "safe" outlets and substitutes (such as life-like dolls and/or VR) or would these fuel their wish to act on their urges with real people? Are there any studies? Also, is there a moral line to be drawn where such substitutes are concerned?

 

[Silentium]

No. Child molesters can be rehabilitated. They have something wrong in their mind you can't change.